The shelf detective

DIA STANDS APART FROM MERCADONA, LIDL AND ALDI

For this category analysis, Alimarket Marca Privada examined the market at store level, reviewing the ranges available at eight major retail chains. The survey was conducted at outlets in Madrid, so the offering may differ in other regions. Four of the selected stores were supermarkets; the other four — Carrefour, Hipercor, Alcampo and Eroski — were hypermarkets.

The findings are revealing. Among the smaller stores, Mercadona, Lidl and Aldi have very similar ranges in terms of SKU count and private-label share, with between 34 and 47 products. Between 73% and 87% of these are retailer-owned brands: Bosque Verde at the Valencian chain; Doussy, Formil and W5 at Lidl (W5 is included because it offers degreasers suitable for laundry); and Tandil at Aldi.

Dia is the exception that proves the rule. Its range reaches 74 SKUs, while private label accounts for just 43.2% of the offering. Manufacturer brands generally enjoy the best shelf placement. Interestingly, the chain with the most SKUs has the fewest suppliers — five, compared with eight at Mercadona, nine at Lidl and ten at Aldi.

Looking at the manufacturers supplying these retailers, Mercadona stands out because of its more restrictive, exclusive supplier model. In its laundry-care aisle, Inquiba is the leading supplier, with a clear presence in detergents, fabric softeners and laundry perfumes. The SPB Global Corporation is also prominent in stain removers, ironing products and other items such as odour-removing sprays and bleach. One unusual feature is that Inquiba also makes Mercadona’s laundry detergent capsules.

PERSÁN: KING OF CAPSULES AND FABRIC SOFTENERS

Why is this unusual? Because Persán is undoubtedly the leading supplier of this type of detergent. It supplies all the other chains surveyed, with the exception of El Corte Inglés-Hipercor, which sources the product from Iberfrasa-Incasa. Seville-based Persán is also the dominant supplier of fabric softeners, supplying five of the eight retailers; Mercadona, Hipercor and Alcampo are the exceptions. At Eroski, Dia, Carrefour and Aldi, Persán accounts for almost the entire range in this segment. At Lidl it remains the leading supplier, with just one SKU each from Iberfrasa and Saci. Overall, the Seville-based group is a major player internationally, but its position is even stronger in Spain: it is present on every shelf surveyed except at Hipercor.

Iberfrasa is the only other company with comparable coverage, supplying every retailer surveyed except Mercadona. All these data and supplier details, along with comments from section managers at some chains, can be found in the retailer profiles included in the report.

At Aldi, where Persán and McBride are the main suppliers, the retailer’s Tandil brand accounts for 74% of sales in the section. In recent months, Aldi has expanded the range with a textile disinfectant, a 34-count Marseille-scented capsule pack, a refill pack for its Marseille range, a powder detergent for 70 washes and a strip-format detergent manufactured by Iberfrasa.

At Lidl, Persán, Iberfrasa and Saci are the main suppliers. Its own brands have around 32 SKUs and account for 80% of sales. Recent innovations include pearl-format laundry perfumes in Floral and Blue variants, made by Iberfrasa; three repeatedly award-winning capsule detergent varieties, now in 100% recyclable cardboard packaging and manufactured by Persán; and Doussy Premium fabric softener, with a higher perfume concentration in three variants: Orchid, Floral and Pure Freshness.

EROSKI AND ALCAMPO ARE THE MOST DYNAMIC HYPERMARKETS

As expected, hypermarkets carry substantially larger ranges, starting at more than 140 SKUs and reaching 180 at Eroski. Their commitment to private label varies considerably. Hipercor is the least inclined to develop its own-label offer, with just 27 SKUs, representing around 15–20% of the shelf range. It relies mainly on the Iberfrasa group through Incasa, supplemented by Linasa.

Persán is clearly dominant on Eroski’s shelves. Its own brands account for 20–25% of the range, with around 40 SKUs: 18 detergent products, eight fabric softeners and laundry perfumes, and 14 accessories. Eroski works with six suppliers, including Persán, McBride, Quicesa and the Iberfrasa group, all of which supply several SKUs.

Eroski is one of Spain’s retail chains that is investing most heavily in renewing and improving its own-brand range, which currently accounts for 22% of sales in this category. This is reflected in its pace of new product launches. This year, as part of the renewal of its capsule detergent range supplied by Persán, it added a new product: SPORT 3-in-1, a 24-dose doypack. “With this launch, we are responding to the needs of a specific consumer profile, mainly young people and those with an active or sports-oriented lifestyle, by offering a washing solution tailored to the care and cleaning of sportswear,” the chain explains. In the stain-remover segment, it has also improved the formula of its bottled product to deliver greater cleaning efficacy, stronger whitening performance and better protection against greying. It has also enhanced its anti-limescale action to optimise washing results.

Alcampo also works with six suppliers for its own brands, relying mainly on Persán, McBride, La Tuna and Linasa. Its own-label range includes around 48 SKUs under Auchan, Auchan Better Life (eco-focused) and Auchan Económico-Pulgar Amarillo, representing close to 30% of its total range. Private label accounts for 22% of detergent sales by units/packs (14% by value), 35% of fabric-softener sales (26% by value) and 25% of additive and accessory sales (15% by value). Three launches stand out: a cotton-scented ironing aid in aerosol form, an active-oxygen stain remover for white laundry, and McBride’s entry into liquid detergents.

Finally, private label accounts for 45% of Carrefour’s offering, with Iberfrasa and Persán playing a larger supply role.